Husband at IKEA - Not as Whiny as Usual

I think for every ten trips to Home Depot there should be at least one trip to IKEA. Right now the Gary owes me 257 trips to IKEA. Okay, a slight exaggeration.


Gary hates IKEA. He doesn't like their style of furniture, or, in fact their style of anything. After several trips to promising places, even William Sonoma, we haven't had any luck finding a stainless steel dish drainer to go in the sink, a stainless steel electric can opener (under the cabinet-type), or stainless steel paper -towel holder to replace the pathetic plastic one (and the only type available eons ago) under the cabinets. We finally decided to try IKEA. No luck. We did find a stainless steel tea-pot, and two pillow shams, but nothing else. I am getting close to not caring. I will have to do more Internet searching.


Nevertheless, Gary griped through the entire store, but he didn't gripe as much as usual and he didn't complain that any part of his body hurt. That practically made the trip a success. We have become the older couple when we go out. At least we still talk when we go out to eat.


The problem is there has to be some equity. Gary needs to learn to not be so whiny when we go to my stores, and I will continue to be my cheerful self when we trek over to Home Depot.

Happy First Day of Kindergarten, Tom

Dear Thomas,

I wish I could be there for your first day of Kindergarten. I know you will do wonderfully and make lots of new friends (as you always do.) This is a new chapter in your young life and a new chapter for all of us. You are my first grandchild in Kindergarten. The time will fly. Have fun and learn to love to learn.

I love you and am so proud of you,
Love,
Nana Lizzie

Bullying, the Series, Part I - Sarcasm

Most people think they know bullying. They don’t. Movies and television have made the stereotypical bully a literal character. Think Eddie Haskell of “Leave It To Beaver.” The truth is bullies know how to fly below the radar. I will show you how to spot bullies. The following applies to elementary schools through college and to ANY workplace or home environment on planet earth. You might even be a bully and not be aware that you speak “Bullyease”.


Sarcasm

Bullies are sarcastic towards people. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and a place for sarcasm, but not towards others, and especially never toward children.

A favorite expression of bullies is:
“I was just kidding,”

or, it’s evil twin;

“Can’t you take a joke?”

When people use those pathetic excuses, vacate the premises. Sarcasm, such as the joking or kidding variety contains one or all of these four intentions:

-to be hurtful
-to feel superior
-to be right and therefore make someone else wrong
and
to humiliate.

Next time someone says to you “I was just kidding,” or “Can’t you take a joke?” look them in the eye and ask, “What exactly is your intention?” because I can bet it will be one of the above reasons. Bullies sputter and bluster and immediately try to put you on the defensive, which is one the very favorite weapons in bullyworld. You can then say, “That’s what I thought.”

Yes, there is a time and a place for sarcasm; the weather, egotistical public figures, the economy, politics, greedy companies that exploit for profit, are all fair targets for sarcasm. However, too often sarcasm is a pathetic replacement for wit and humor. The vast majority of the time sarcasm is mean-spiritedness in a sorry clown costume.

The mean-spirited, humiliating, righteously indignant and hurtful sarcasm has been banned from my classroom and home for years. I haven’t missed it.

Sheesh! What about Free Speech?

Word came down in our district that we can't blog because the news media combs the district email and blogs to find good stories. They certainly have the right to look at any of my district emails as that is all public information. Our district has industrial-strength firewalls so that I couldn't look at THIS blog at school if I wanted to. They even block ALL the graphics on Wikipedia. (However, they haven't managed to keep the pesky pornographic emails from coming in. I have to make sure there are no students around when I open my email as the latest ads for "enhancements" are there for all to see.) The district can't prevent us from blogging. Surely they know that. Our district doesn't seem to understand that we may write what we please in our blogs, but we certainly must be mindful no to slander, libel or plagiarize. Is there really anyone who doesn't understand that? Evidently not.



I haven't written anything in my blog that I would be embarrassed to have any one of my students see. If I have written about a student I have changed his/her name. My dear old mother always said, "Don't put anything down in writing you don't want the whole world to see." She said that decades ago, long before there was an inkling of a world wide web.



If anyone from any news outlet should happen to stumble upon my little blog and find a good story, please share it with the world, and yes, my district should most certainly keep their noses out of my blog and stick it .... whoops. (That was not going to be a child-friendly comment. ) It sounds like some tech people have entirely too much time on their hands.